July 8, 2014

Summer is here and the Plaza is blooming with all sorts of fun things to do. The Thursday night Take A Break concerts are in full swing – grab a chair and picnic and come hear some great tunes. July 12 is the 4th Annual Ukulele Festival, this year features some great talent from around the Country. Music starts with a Community Show Case hosted by Cafe Montmartre at 9:30. The main stage opens at 11:00 with 5 great groups featuring a range of music from traditional Hawaiian to Swing! Don’t miss this Summer favorite!

February 3, 2014

February can be chilly but there’s plenty to warm both body and soul going on at Lake Anne. Kalypsos Sports Tavern has all sorts of music options throughout the week, not to mention none stop sports from the plethora of big screen TVs. It’s nice to spend an evening with a cold beer and a friendly crowd. Need something a little quieter? Try Jasmine Cafe or Singh Thai for more intimate settings by chef owned restaurants. Cafe Montmartre can rock it out with best of them and the food is great; check out the Thursday Vietnamese Menu! Lake Anne Florist is running their annual tulip festival- you can get flowers, wine and chocolate all at the same shop! Need I say more? So drop in and say hi.

November 27, 2013

Winter is almost here. The lights are up and we’re ready Jingle on Lake Anne Plaza! Saturday Dec. 7th marks the 33rd year that Santa has arrived by barge to the Plaza to be met by hoards of delighted kids. This year our Sea Sleigh Captain is our friend and neighbor Ken Knueven.

We have a full schedule of activities, don’t miss this great holiday tradition!

November 18, 2013

Five years ago Reston Association’s initial efforts to restore the streams and watershed damaged by erosion met with irate concern from many about the loss of trees necessitated by that project. Today it is generally acknowledged that the short term loss of some trees was necessary to benefit the greater system, and the project areas are deemed beautiful.

The Lake Anne community redevelopment project has a similar goal, the long-term restoration of Reston’s first and some say only village center.

Lake Anne Village is symbolic of the vision that created Reston. Bob Simon’s seven goals describe a balance of the need for housing for all, diversity within a community, amenities, and beauty–structural and natural.

Lake Anne Development Partners has been selected to lead this redevelopment at least in part because of the sensitivity that they and their architects have shown to the original vision. Its plan provides for much needed diversity in housing as well as the promise of revitalization of the Village’s retail and commercial base. In a truly mixed-use community the commercial and residential sectors are interdependent.

Looking at the total site, the unused and neglected 1.01 acre RA parcel under consideration by this RA Board is essential to make this redevelopment work. No other parking site will sensibly benefit the existing and new portions of the plaza with so little disruption to the residential community.

Reston Association owns and maintains 1,350 acres of open space, one seventh of the total land in Reston. This controversial 1.01 acre, which is hardly the gem of RA’s properties, is 0.0751% of the total acreage. And this percentage is not lost in the exchange; a slightly larger parcel is being swapped which will provide a needed green buffer next to Baron Cameron at the Crescent property. Additionally, not all the trees on this site will be removed for the parking structure, and RA will be receiving other significant proffers in the exchange.

I hope we all can achieve some perspective about what is important here.

While we can all agree that the preservation of natural beauty has made Reston a unique place to live work and play, what is at stake here is an opportunity to restore the total Reston vision. I hope we can see the community for the trees.

September 30, 2013

It’s was a spectacular Summer and so far the Fall is looking great. This year we’ll have an extended Farmers Market- we’ll be going all the way through the Fall to December 22nd. So you’ll be able to secure the freshest ingredients for your holiday meals from our Farmers and purchase the most unique gifts from our Crafters and Artist. There will be 14 of our normal 24 Farmers plus a few new faces who don’t normally sell at our Market.

Lake Anne Plaza will be hosting our first Fine Arts Festival on October 12 – 13. This event is put on by Paragon Art Events. They put on fine art festivals through out the United States, we’re thrilled that they selected Lake Anne to host their Boutique Arts Event!

August 23, 2013

We love to keep it local at Lake Anne but that doesn’t mean small time- This years Jazz & Blues festival features some amazing talent, four of our artists are Reston raised- Mykle Lyons, Sam Gunderson, Peter Fraize and Beverly Cosham couldn’t be more local having grown up right in the neighborhood. They are part of an amazing line up that also includes Rashida Jolley, Adrian Duke, and Unified Jazz Ensemble

The festival has been moved to Labor Day weekend and will be held on Saturday August 31st. The taps open at 12:00 pm with craft beer offered by Mad Fox Brewery. We’ll have fun for the kids, with face painting and beach balls and a few corn-hole boards if you feel like playing a few rounds between sets. Of course we’ll also have the artists and crafters from the Open Air Market. Something for everyone.

April 10, 2013

The birds are chirping and the umbrellas are up- Spring has arrived on Lake Anne Plaza! The patios are open and diners are enjoying lake breezes as they eat great food and take in the ambiance that can only be found in our funky little corner of Reston.

This Saturday marks Bob Simon’s 99th birthday! Be sure to come out and join us for our Annual Founder’s Day event. The Reston Museum has put together a great Reston site hunt with great prizes to a few lucky participants.

The markets open on May 4th and this year promises to be our biggest yet! The Farmer’s Market will include a Chesapeake Bay Waterman who will be selling fresh sea food and the Craft Market has some 70 applications on hand! It’s hard to park but worth the struggle! Hope to see you all soon.

January 24, 2013

The waters of Lake Anne is freezing up nicely in preparation for the annual Freezin for Reason Polar Plunge held Feb 2nd at 2:00 PM. So don those crazy costumes and join your friends and neighbors to assist in raising money for a super worthy cause; Camp Sunshine the beneficiary of this event sends families with seriously ill children to camp for a week of fun family time away from stress and strain and anxiety of life threatening illness.

It’s cold outside but there’s still plenty going on at Lake Anne. Drop in to any of the restaurants for a meal to ward off the chill; watch Hockey at Kalypsos’ drop in for music on Saturday night at Jasmine Café, or Open Mic on Tuesdays at Café Montmartre. Don’t be a stranger!

December 2, 2012

Don’t miss a great chance to get the perfect unique gifts for friends and family at the Jingle on Lake Anne this Saturday December 8th from 11:00 – 2:00. The artist and crafters will be out in full force and we might even have a Farmer or two for this final Saturday of the Market season.

We’ll be decorating Ginger Bread Cookies and making Christmas & Chanukah ornaments. Santa sails in by barge at 12:00 so be ready to share your holiday wishes our very own Lake Anne Santa.